


The Sun It Does Not Cause Us To Grow

by Birdlad (Argothia)



Series: Still Breathing [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, I am not a medical professional, Minor Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Platonic Relationships, mentions of doctors, mentions of major injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2020-09-23 23:58:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20348968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argothia/pseuds/Birdlad
Summary: Jason was rescued from the warehouse by the mysterious Alvin, but what will happen to him now?





	1. When the Walls Come Down

**Author's Note:**

> As the tag states: I'm not a medical professional so any and all mentions of medical stuff has just been glossed right over. Could I have researched it? Probably, but I'm still tired from the last time I tried to research a medical thing and got a whole bunch of pages that just said 'if [thing] happens then see a medical professional immediately and don't attempt to tend to it yourself'. The internet is not kind to writers... never did figure out the answer to my question that time either.
> 
> Title of the story is from 'I Have Made Mistakes' by The Oh Hellos.

Bruce lingers in the corner of the tent where Jason’s sleeping on a cot. His life is no longer in danger, but it will take quite some time for him to fully heal. Bruce can’t help but worry about all the work that will go into his recovery, even though technically, he supposes, it’s no longer his place to worry about any of that. 

He watches warily as Sheila takes Jason’s vitals, professionally, her face betraying none of her thoughts. Whatever’s on her mind Bruce has a feeling he’s not going to like it when she finally speaks. He can only imagine. She knows now that her son is Robin. How will she react? Will she expose their identities? He can’t be sure. 

“He needs a real hospital if he’s going to recover fully.” She sighs, suddenly, startling him. “We’re lucky though… it could have been so much worse…” 

He feels like there’s something left unspoken there. As though she blames herself. Bruce can’t really say that she shouldn’t, he still hasn’t heard the entire story, but he lets it slide. “I can arrange for good hospital…” 

“Yeah… yeah, that would be for the best. You should take him back to Gotham as soon as possible too… after all Gotham needs Batman. The world needs Batman.” She gives him a sad smile. “And so does Jason.” 

Bruce frowns. “Dr Haywood, I--” 

“Tell him I lied,” she says, firmly. “Tell him… I’m not his mother. That I was just using him.” 

So this is how it’s going to go then. “And what will you do?” 

“I’ll…” She shrugs slightly. “I’m going to stay here and continue working with the refugees. I have a lot I need to atone for… more than I did before. Hopefully… hopefully the Joker will think I’m dead and leave me be. That’s all I can hope for… But Jason deserves better. Better than me. So please… take him home to Gotham and tell him I’m a liar.” 

“He won’t just accept that.” Bruce tells her. As much as he wants to keep Jason with him, he owes it to him to try. 

Sheila crosses her arms and leans back against an empty cot. “I know… and I’m sorry, I’m asking a lot of you but after what I did… I can’t bear to face him. This… this is for the best. For both of us.” 

“I can’t change your mind?” Bruce pressures. 

She closes her eyes and shakes her head slightly. “Go… and don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. I won’t tell anyone. Even if I did, I doubt they’d believe me.” 

Bruce hesitates a moment longer, then presses a button on his glove to summon his jet. Silently he moves Jason outside. Sheila follows, shielding her face as the jet lands, and watching sorrowfully as Bruce situates Jason in the jet. After everything’s settled, Bruce turns back to her. “That boy who rescued you, do you have any idea who he is?” 

“No.” She hesitates a moment before continuing, thoughtfully, “It’s… it’s so strange. I could have sworn there was no one else in the warehouse when Joker locked us in. That young man just appeared out of nowhere. And… he knew Jason’s name from the start, I swear I didn’t tell him.” 

“I believe you.” As disturbing as it is, Bruce knows she’s telling the truth. No one told Alvin Batman and Robin’s identities. He shakes off his unease and glances back at Jason before he speaks again, “Thank you… for helping to save Jason.” 

Her smile is half-hearted as she answers, “Don’t thank me… just take care of him.” 

“I will.” 

*** 

Bruce wakes up every half an hour to make sure reality doesn’t match his nightmares. The horrible feeling of arriving too late, watching the warehouse going up in a fiery blast, the fear that he’s failed the last person he ever should have. It all lingers like a bad taste even as the dreams fade. Then he opens eyes and Jason’s there sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed, expected to make a full recovery and wake up any day now. 

It hadn’t been difficult to convince the local authorities that Jason had been caught up in some incident while assisting in charity work in the area and was subsequently injured. However getting him home to Gotham had been something more of an ordeal. It was worth it though because while Bruce is certain the doctors at those local hospitals are excellent, he’s far more comfortable with more familiar faces. 

As the lingering fears from his nightmare dissipate, Bruce reaches out and gently clasps Jason’s hand in his. As much as he’s wants Jason to wake up soon, he still hopes that he has a little more time to prepare. There’s a long road of recovery ahead of Jason when he wakes and Bruce isn’t exactly chomping at the bit to give him Sheila’s message. It’ll be hard for Jason to come to terms with that. He might feel like he’s been abandoned and Bruce needs to find a way before then to make sure he knows that Bruce and Alfred will always be there for him. 

For now he does the only thing he can, he carefully places his hand over Jason’s, taking moment to marvel at how much Jason has grown since he arrived at the manor. There was a time when this same hand was half the size it is now. Back then Jason was barely more than a few muscles on a skeletal frame. Now his hand is nearly as big as Bruce’s. He’s grown so much in only two years. Two years that Bruce would never trade for the entire world. Smiling slightly to himself and reassured that Jason is really there, really alive, Bruce closes his eyes and waits. Until, that is, he hears familiar footsteps coming down the hall. 

“Knock, knock.” Barbara's voice is soft as she enters the room. 

Bruce opens his eyes and sits up a little straighter. “Barbara.” 

“Hey, sorry, didn't mean to wake you.” She walks over to Jason's bedside. 

“You didn't.” 

“Of course.” She seems oddly amused by his response. “I told them I was family, sorry.” 

“Don't be.” She practically is family after all. “How did you hear about this?” 

“Alfred called me.” Her eyes focus on Jason's face for a long time before she finally looks up at Bruce. “He's gonna be okay, right?” 

Bruce nods. “So they tell me.” 

“That's good.” She tries out a smile, but it's weak and it slips away so quickly. “God… I'm sorry, I just… I never thought about something like this happening.” 

Bruce can't really say that he had either. He can't find much to say at all really. 

So he just watched as she folds an arm across her abdomen pressing the knuckles of her other hand against her lips. It's silent between them until she speaks again, “I'll keep an eye on the city until you're ready to go back on patrol or Dick gets back.” 

“I…” Bruce hesitates, because he can tell there’s something in her demeanor that seems off. She has more to say. “Thank you… I appreciate it.” 

She looks away from him. “After that though…” 

“…Do what you think is best.” 

*** 

In Dick Grayson’s experience off-planet missions can go one of two ways; They can be fun, interesting trips to distant parts of the galaxy or they can be complete nightmares. There’s really no in between. The latest one was of the, regrettably far more common, latter variety and he’s more than ready to just collapse into his bed as Kori helps him into his apartment. Unfortunately as they enter Kori frowns. “Dick… your answering machine.” 

The light’s blinking telling him he’s got a new message. He should really probably deal with that first, but… “I’ll deal with it after I change, Bruce can wait until then.” 

“Are you sure?” She glances back at the light as she helps him across the room. “What if it’s important?” 

“If it was important he’d be here in person.” Dick shrugs, and maybe that’s just the bitterness talking, but, hell, after what he’s been through – After what Bruce has put him through – over the past couple of years, he’s earned the right to be just a little bitter. 

So he hobbles to the bedroom and changes his clothes, then returns to the living room and hits the button to play his messages before limping over to the refrigerator while Kori shadows him anxiously. After a loud beep and the announcement that he has one new message, Alfred’s voice begins over the speakers and Dick feels like a heel before he gets passed the first word. “Master Richard, there’s been an incident. Please call the manor as soon as you can.” 

Dropping the bottle of water he’d just gotten from the fridge, Dick moves as fast as his broken leg will allow back to the phone and calls the manor. His heart is practically in his throat as he waits for Alfred to pick up. Possibilities race through his mind. If Bruce were hurt or… or worse, surely somebody from the Justice League would have met him at the tower to tell him. So that means something’s happened to Jason. Before he can even begin to pick through that series of hells, the line clicks and Alfred greets him, “Master Richard.” 

God, he sounds so tired. “You said something happened, is everyone okay?” 

“I’m afraid not, sir, Master Jason…” Alfred pauses and Dick holds his breath through the silence, fervently hoping that Alfred’s next words won’t confirm his worst fears. “…Master Jason has been seriously injured and hospitalized.” 

The relief that Dick feels that he hasn’t lost his brother only loosens the tension in his gut a little. “Is… is he going to be okay? How did this happen?” 

“He is expected to pull through alright, however at the moment we’re still waiting for him to wake up,” Alfred responds, gently. “He ran afoul of the Joker while searching for his birth-mother.” 

Stunned, Dick doesn’t know what to say at first. “Jason… had another mother? She’s alive?” 

“While the woman he found is indeed still alive, Master Bruce tells me she claims that she isn’t truly his mother.” Alfred sighs. “I don’t know what the truth of the matter is, but whatever the case she refused to return to Gotham with them.” 

“I see…” Dick shakes his head, none of this is the important part. “I’m… I’ll come home right away.” 

“Shall I come and get you?” Alfred asks. 

Dick takes a deep breath and looks at Kori who nods without him even having to ask. “No, I’ll be there in about an hour, Kori’s going to drop me off.” 

“Very well, I will see you then.” 

“Yeah,” Dick says and hangs up after Alfred does. 

Kori moves to his side. “What has happened?” 

“Jason’s hurt,” Dick answers. “I… Can I tell you the rest on the way to the manor?” 

“Of course.” She agrees readily. 

*** 

The flight to the manor goes by quickly as Dick fills Kori in on all he learned from Alfred until finally she deposits him on Wayne Manor’s doorstep. She’s disappointed that she can’t join him to visit Jason, but understanding as well. Whether or not the press has gotten wind of this situation already, Dick Grayson showing up to a Gotham hospital with Starfire would be all over the news in seconds. So she gives him a parting kiss and makes him promise to call her when he knows more. Then she flies away as Alfred opens the front door. 

“My word, it seems you’ve been injured yourself, I see,” Alfred says, indicating Dick’s cast and crutch. 

Dick adjusts his weight on the crutch. “This is nothing, but I do need a lift to the hospital.” 

“Very well, sir.” 

Alfred leads the way to the garage and with some difficulty, Dick gets situated in the passenger seat of Bruce’s most inconspicuous car, before asking, “How… how’s B taking it?” 

“Hard, I’m afraid.” Alfred fixes the mirror as he continues, “It took both myself and Mr Kent to convince him not to set out to kill the Joker yesterday.” 

Dick shudders a bit. The thought of Bruce so angry he’d be willing to throw away his code is terrifying. Thank god for Alfred and Clark. “Where is he now?” 

“At the hospital with Master Jason,” Alfred answers to Dick’s relief. “He hasn’t left the boy’s side since they arrived.” 

Good, that’s the way it should be. “Can you tell me any more about what happened?” 

Alfred is quiet for a moment before nodding. “I shall do my best, sir, though I’m afraid my knowledge is somewhat lacking as I was not present at the time.” 

“That’s fine.” Dick leans back in his seat watching the scenery pass by out the window. “Whatever you know is fine.” 

“Well… to begin at the beginning as it were--” Alfred explains the entire incident. From Bruce attempting to get Jason to step back from being Robin for a while – as if that would work – to Jason discovering evidence that Catherine Todd wasn’t his birth-mother to Jason meeting Sheila Haywood to the Joker’s plot and finally Jason and Sheila being rescued from the warehouse before it exploded by a mysterious young man. “--And that, young sir, is all I know.” 

“God…” Dick pinches the bridge of his nose and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, then lets his head fall back against the seat back so he can stare up at the fuzzy gray ceiling of the car. “None of us can catch a damn break, can we?” 

“So it would appear,” Alfred says, tiredly, as Dick feels the car slow down and turn right. They’ve arrived at their destination. 

As the car comes to a stop, Dick lifts his head and grabs his crutch. “What room are they in?” 

“If you don’t mind, sir, I will simply accompany you.” Alfred removes his seat belt and opens his door. “It will give me a chance to see the boy again myself.” 

Good old Alfred, he deserves a more peaceful life than the one he’s got as the surrogate grandfather to a pair of reckless vigilantes, but somehow it seems like he wouldn’t trade this family any more than they’d trade him. Dick smiles. “Yeah, alright.” 

They head up to the top floor in the elevator and finally reach Jason’s room. There are bandages over most of Jason’s body and three of his limbs are in casts. He looks like shit and Dick can’t wait to do his sworn duty as an older brother and tell him that when he wakes up. Dick blinks back the tears that are blurring his vision and looks over to the person occupying the chair at Jason’s bedside. 

Bruce is awake, despite his seemingly relaxed posture and closed eyes, anybody who knows him well can tell easily. 

At Alfred’s silent urging, Dick limps into the room and Alfred closes the door behind them. Swallowing a bit of apprehension, Dick greets Bruce quietly. “Hey.” 

Slowly, Bruce opens his eyes, his expression remains mostly neutral, though there’s a hint of what Dick kind of hopes is happiness there. Over all he just looks tired. “Dick… you’re injured?” 

“Just a fracture, it’ll heal fine.” Dick shrugs off Bruce’s concern, that’s not why he came here. “More importantly--” 

Before he can continue though, Bruce stands up and motions for Dick to take the chair. “Sit.” 

Accepting that as an order, not a request, Dick obeys. Besides, he was getting a little tired. After setting his crutch aside, Dick reaches over and carefully pets Jason’s hair, something he’d never get away with if Jason were awake. Then he makes another attempt to finish his thought, “As I was saying; More importantly, what did the doctors say about Jason’s condition?” 

Bruce leans against the nearest wall and responds, "A few broken ribs, his right arm was nearly shattered, and his legs were fractured in multiple places. His injuries are pretty extensive, but he should make a full recovery in time, we were… very lucky." 

“Thank god…” Dick murmurs. “And, I guess, that guy who rescued him.” 

At that Bruce's expression turns thoughtful. “Yes… him.” 

Dick faces Bruce. “You really have no idea who that guy was?” 

“No… he said his name was Alvin, but I'm not sure how much I trust that.” Bruce looks out the nearby window. “More than anything it bothers me that he got away… it's unnerving knowing there's someone out there who knows our identities and I don't--” 

“Wait wait wait!” Dick tries to keep his voice down but this is kind of a big deal. “Alfred didn't say anything about the guy knowing our identities.” 

When Dick glances over at Alfred for confirmation he seems just as surprised. “I was not made aware either.” 

Bruce looks from one of them to the other and sighs heavily. “It must not have occurred to me to mention it in all the chaos. Yes, somehow Alvin knew Jason and I and referred to us by name. From what I gathered there's no way he could have found out from Sheila or Jason and he seems to have no connection to Joker either. At this point I don't know how he could know.” 

Dick stares at the floor, trying to take in this new information. Damn. “And he got away? How?” 

“I was distracted.” Bruce sounds a little irritable as he speaks. “I took my eyes off him for a moment and when I turned around again… he was gone.” 

That sounds awfully familiar. “You mean… he pulled a Batman?” 

“I'll admit I was… impressed,” Bruce says, wryly. 

Ha, now he knows how poor Jim Gordon feels. Still, respect for the disappearing act aside, Dick's not sure what to think of all this. On the one hand this Alvin guy saved Jason, that definitely earns him some 'benefit of the doubt' points, but so not enough to cover this. “Any theories?” 

Of course Bruce has theories. “Could be a telepath or some form of magic. Or potentially someone we've met before, he was comfortable enough with calling me 'Bruce' rather than 'Mr Wayne' though so you would think I would have recognized him… I'm not willing to entertain the ideas of him outright deciphering our identities or time travel, but I won't take them off the table either. Whatever the case, you should still take a look at the recording later and see if you recognize him.” 

Bruce yawns as he finishes speaking and Dick frowns. He can't imagine Bruce has done much sleeping in the past few days. “B… if you need to go home and get some sleep, I can sit with Jason for--” 

“No.” Bruce's voice is firm and a little sharp, but Dick does his best not to feel offended, he knows why Bruce is so upset. After a second Bruce shakes his head. “Thank you for offering, but… I'd rather be here in case he wakes up.” 

Dick studies him for a minute, looking for any sign that he can be convinced. When he doesn't find it he relents, “Okay, I understand. I'll just have to resign myself to helping Alfred keep the manor feeling lived in until Jason's well again… you got Babs on duty while you're out of commission?” 

“Yes.” 

Dick stretches. “Good, but I’ll see if Clark will sub for you a few times just so people don’t get suspicious. Then when my leg’s healed, I’ll take over.” 

“I… I appreciate it, Dick.” Bruce all but whispers. “Really.” 

Choosing to ignore that statement for both their sakes, Dick leans over closer to Jason and whispers, “Get better soon, little brother. You gotta help me bully Bruce into taking a nap.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some quick final notes:
> 
> -Condensed some stuff from canon, so like canonically I think Dick doesn't get back to Earth/find out about Jason until like a week or two after it happened, here it's only been a couple days.  
-Dick's broken leg gave me so much grief, ya'll have no idea. Originally I forgot that his leg was broken and I had a whole part written out and everything where he just hopped on his motorcycle and drove home. Then I remembered and I had to go back and add Kori in. Dick's Leg-break-itis: 1, Argothia's attention to detail: 0  
-And lastly, the next two chapters are already mostly done, I just have to edit them! So I'll probably have the next chapter up in about a week.


	2. The Dark Clouds Depart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from a song (Sorrow by Sleeping At Last) because I used up my originality quota for the month on the title of the first chapter, lol X)

Jason remembers laughter and pain and blood. His blood. A lot of it. Then he remembers a rhythmic beep and Sheila sobbing. He heard her pleading with someone, then he was lifted, thought it was Bruce at first but the person was too short and the voice that answered him too unfamiliar. They sounded so sad. 

Despite the pain he’d clung to consciousness as he’d been carried for what seemed like forever. Then there was an explosion, or that’s what he thinks it was anyway. All he really knows is it was loud. After that Bruce was there and everything went dark for a while. 

He’d heard Sheila and Bruce talking about something, but he couldn’t understand, he just felt kind of floaty and tired. Just so tired. 

Everything from there becomes a muddled mess with brief moments of consciousness until now. Now there’s nothing at all and he wonders if this is death. Just drifting in a hazy void for all eternity; feeling, hearing, seeing, being nothing. Then he hears a beep and his breath catches in fear until he realizes that he’s breathing. He’s alive. Must be on some kind of painkillers, his mind feels all muddled and he can’t keep track of his thoughts, but now that he has something to focus on he’s able to notice more things. If the smell is anything to go by he’s in a hospital. That’d make sense. The beeping is probably the heart monitor. Everything still hurts, but there’s a disconnect between him and the pain. Like it belongs to somebody else. There’s someone by his side. Gotta be Bruce. 

With difficulty he pries his eyes open and tilts his head to the right. Bruce is asleep, one of his hands clasping Jason’s loosely. Waking him up will be easy then. Jason wills his fingers to close around 

Bruce’s hand. He can’t manage much of a grip, but it does the trick. Bruce comes awake with a start and just stares at their hands for a long time like he’s looking at a miracle. 

It takes a second but Jason finds his voice enough to say, “My eyes… are up here, jackass.” 

Bruce blinks and turns his gaze to Jason’s face. There are unshed tears in his eyes that kinda take the edge off his scolding, “Language, Jason.” 

“Seriously?” Jason huffs, can’t laugh really. “I’ll… put a quarter in the jar… later.” 

A small smile crosses Bruce’s face for a moment, but it quickly fades to a concerned frown. “How are you feeling?” 

“Hmm…” That’s the question of the hour, ain’t it? “Kinda shitty… if you’ll pardon my french.” 

“This once.” Bruce sighs, tired, amused. 

They sit in silence for a moment then a thought hits Jason. “Hey… where’s… where’s Mom? Sheila, I mean.” 

Bruce closes his eyes like he’s composing himself, which is never a good sign. “I… You should get some more sleep, son… I’ll explain everything when you’re feeling a bit more awake, okay?” 

Jason scowls. “Bruce…” 

“I promise, Jason,” Bruce says before Jason can think of anything more to say. “I promise, I will explain everything then. For now… you need your rest.” 

He’s not entirely satisfied with that but… he does feel really tired. Reluctantly he nods and lets his eyes drift closed again. 

*** 

He doesn’t know how long he sleeps but the next time he wakes up he can think more clearly. Even before he opens his eyes he can tell that Bruce is still there beside him. The sap. With less difficulty than last time Jason opens his eyes and looks over at Bruce. “Hey.” 

“Good morning.” Bruce devotes his attention to Jason. “Feeling any better?” 

Jason shrugs with his good shoulder. “Kinda sorta… Where are we?” 

“Gotham.” He gestures towards the window and, through the curtains, Jason can see the familiar skyline. “This is a private room in Gotham General. I wanted to make sure you could rest without too much chaos around you… of course, that’s not to say there haven’t been any visitors… Clark showed up on the first night looking like a puppy in blue pajamas which is a mental image I’m sure you’ll appreciate.” 

Trying not to chuckle since he’s pretty sure his ribs would wage war on him for that decision, Jason responds, “So much.” 

Bruce smiles, then somewhat hesitantly adds, “Dick stopped by too… Twice actually.” 

Jason bites his lip a bit as he remembers a soft pressure against his head and a whispered request he couldn’t make out, but now that he thinks about it that was Dick’s voice. Gentler than he’s ever heard it before when directed at him. Jason almost kinda wishes Dick were here right now. “I… I know. I was sorta awake one time.” 

“He’s been staying at the manor, ostensibly to help Alfred out, but probably just so he can be close by.” Bruce looks exasperated as he continues, “He won’t be doing much with a broken leg after all.” 

Jason rolls his eyes. “Oh, come on. He broke his leg? Damn, B, I’m laid up, he’s got a broken leg… ever think we’re danger prone?” 

“Sometimes…” Bruce sighs. Well, that joke fell flat. 

Jason looks down at his casts and changes the subject, sorta, “So what’s the good news here?” 

Bruce hesitates. Oh god, Jason really hates it when Bruce hesitates. It usually means bad news. “The doctor’s say you’ll make a full recovery…” 

“But?” Jason prompts after a few seconds of silence. 

“…But it will be weeks before you’re able to walk on your own and months before you’ll be able to handle any strenuous activity.” Bruce finally answers. 

That’s… not great. Jason contemplates the ceiling for a while as he rolls that news around in his head. No strenuous activity means no Robin and if his suspicions are correct, Robin might be the only thing he’s got left. “What happened after I passed out? I mean… I remember there was somebody there and it wasn’t you, but… they knew my name.” 

“His name is Alvin… or so he told me.” Bruce seems relieved that Jason dropped the subject of his recovery, but there’s also an edge to his voice that tells Jason that this subject is causing Bruce more than a little duress. “Beyond that and his appearance I don’t know a damned thing about him. Dick’s had a look at the cowl footage and he can’t place him either. Sheila said she’d never seen him before either… that it seemed like he just appeared out of nowhere. When you’re feeling better I’d like for you to have a look too.” 

“Gladly.” Jason answers. “But what happened to him?” 

Bruce’s expression turns a bit wry. “As Dick put it, ‘he pulled a Batman’ on me. I looked away for a moment and he was gone.” 

“But we’re going to find him right?” Jason questions. 

Slumping a bit, Bruce stares out the window. “Maybe.” 

Maybe isn’t good enough for Jason who determines then and there that he’s going to find the guy himself even if Bruce gives up. But on that note, time to take a bitter pill. “Speaking of finding people… What happened with Mom?” 

Bruce’s expression turns from frustration to hesitance in the blink of an eye. He sighs deeply, before responding, “She… She decided to stay in Ethiopia… she wanted me to tell you that she lied. She said she wasn’t really your mother.” 

“Bullshit!” Jason snaps, impulsively. He’d done all that work, trekked halfway across the world, almost gotten killed twice, and she said it was all for nothing? Yeah right! Jason meets Bruce’s level gaze. “You know it is too.” 

Bruce concedes the point with a nod. “I agree, but there wasn’t anything I could do to change her mind. If she feels she’s not cut out to be a parent to her son, I suppose that’s her loss and… I’m happy to make it my gain. If you want to stay.” 

“I-Huh?” Jason swallows, the angry tears and cutting loss abruptly interrupted by the warmth that’s always welled up in his chest when Bruce calls him his son. “Y-you still want me to stay?” 

Bruce reaches over and squeezes Jason’s hand, gently. “I never wanted you to leave.” 

Jason looks away. “Even though I might not be able to be Robin anymore?” 

“Even if you’d never been Robin,” Bruce confirms. 

Biting his lip for a moment Jason can’t stop himself from thinking of all the reasons he feels like Bruce shouldn’t want him to stay. “I… I want to stay.” 

“Okay.” Bruce squeezes his hand again. “I’m glad.” 

After that it’s quiet between them for a long time and Jason’s almost dozing off again when he remembers something else he wanted to ask. He hates to ruin the good mood but it’s going to bug him if he doesn’t ask. “…What happened with Joker? Did you stop the attack?” 

“Yes.” Bruce doesn’t sound particularly happy for someone who stopped a pretty major catastrophe and he’s glaring at the floor when Jason looks over at him. 

“And… you didn’t catch him?” Jason ventures. 

Bruce grimaces. “No… he escaped back to the states and tried to launch an attack in New York. Thankfully, Clark was able to stop him and his helicopter went down in the ocean… no one’s seen or heard from him since.” 

“So he’s still alive.” The words taste bitter in Jason’s mouth. 

Glancing over at him, Bruce nods. “Definitely.” 

“Shit…” Jason kinda wishes he was still asleep. If Jason had been lucky, Joker’s body would’ve floated to the surface and they could’ve burned it to make double sure the bastard never came back, but Jason’s never been lucky. He thinks about making some smart comment to that effect but when he looks up at Bruce and sees him staring out the window with the sparks of an icy rage in his eyes. Jason hates that look as much as he loves it. That fiercely protective rage of Bruce’s sometimes makes Jason feel like he’s truly loved, but it scares him and he’s never wanted to see what would happen if Bruce acted on it. 

It doesn’t really bear thinking about. “Sorry…” 

Bruce blinks and the simmering rage is gone, replaced with confusion. “For what?” 

Jason lowers his gaze. “For a lot of things.” 

“Jason… you have nothing to be sorry about,” Bruce assures him, firmly. “All you need to worry about is getting better.” 

“I… yeah,” Jason yawns, he hates to admit it but all this talking has really wiped him out. He’s barely been awake for twenty minutes he figures, but damn, if he can keep his eyes open any longer. 

As his eyes slip closed he hears Bruce murmur, “Sleep well, son.” 

*** 

He dozes pretty easily for the next probably twelve hours, waking up in brief intervals and finding Bruce always there. They don’t really talk much throughout that time, but Jason finds it comforting to just have him there. Eventually, Jason falls into a deeper sleep and when he wakes up it’s morning again and someone else has taken Bruce’s spot. Dick Grayson is flipping through an old, battered book. He hasn’t looked up from it yet, but Jason’s pretty sure he knows Jason is awake. Instead of acknowledging him Jason looks around the room for Bruce or Alfred but it’s just the two of them. Great. 

Before he can gather his thoughts enough to ask, Dick answers his question. “He’s outside dealing with the paparazzi in the way only Bruce can. Apparently they all got wind of the fact that a Wayne kid was in the hospital and well… you know how media vultures can be.” 

He does. How Bruce is going to work this one out Jason has no idea. He’ll manage somehow though. He has to after all he promised Jason could stay. Jason tamps down the anxiety growing in his chest and looks over at Dick. “What are you doing here?” 

“Currently, technically, or existentially?” Dick asks, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. 

Jason narrows his eyes. This is such a trick question, but he can only eliminate one answer. He’s gonna have to chance it. “Currently?” 

“Currently I’m talking to you, aren’t I? I was reading this book, but then you woke up and--” Oh god, he could go on like this for hours. Abort! Abort! 

“I meant technically!” Jason interrupts quickly. 

Dick grins and sets his book down on a nearby stand. “Technically, I’m visiting my little brother in the hospital. I can do that, right? I’m not breaking some age old sibling rivalry rule by caving and saying I’m so so glad you’re alive, am I?” 

Jason snorts as he stifles a laugh and winces when his ribs protest. “No, just weirding me out.” 

“I can live with that.” Dick hums, almost contentedly. There’s still worry evident on his fact as he takes Jason’s hand though. “That’s… Jay, I need to apologize to you. I’ve been pretty sucky at this whole ‘big brother’ thing.” 

Uneasy about the direction this conversation is about to take, Jason just squeezes Dick’s hand back in response. “Not your fault.” 

“Brother Blood’s brainwashing was no excuse.” Dick answers, firmly. “I took all my anger at Bruce out on you and it was wrong. You had no way of knowing the meaning behind Robin’s colors and I should’ve told you right away and then… then I should have given them to you, because if anybody’s worthy of wearing my family’s colors it’s my little brother.” 

Jason shifts his weight, uncomfortably. “Look, Dick, I…” 

“I’m serious, Jay,” Dick murmurs. “You’re my little brother and I’ve been an absolute jerk.” 

Sighing, Jason relents. “Something of a ‘dick’ you might say?” 

“I might, yeah.” Dick chuckles. “…I’ll do better though. I promise.” 

He really wants to believe that but how much of this is just guilt over not being there when Jason got hurt? Can he really believe any of it? Jason turns his head to stare up at the ceiling. “That’s… great.” 

“Jay… Jaybird, look at me?” It’s a request not a demand so Jason obliges him cautiously. Dick reaches out, cradling Jason’s face with both hands, effectively making Jason look straight into his eyes and see the gentle determination in them. “Little brother, I love you more than you will ever know and I am so fucking sorry it took you getting hurt like this for me to admit that. There is no excuse for me being a stubborn jackass and I am sorry. Nothing about my promise to do better is empty. Trust me?” 

Jason swallows the lump in his throat and grips Dick’s wrist with his free hand. Kinda hard not to trust him after that spiel. “Yeah…” 

“Okay…” Dick smiles softly. “I know you’re as bad as Bruce when it comes to emotional stuff, but… just know I love you, little bro. That’s never going to change.” 

Jason smiles back. “You are such a sap.” 

“Hey, it’s what I’m good at!” Dick laughs, finally pulling his hands away. “Besides if I’m not then who’s gonna be in this family?” 

True enough. “Yeah, but do you have to be such a giant one?” 

“You’re just jealous I have some form of emotional stability.” Dick sticks his tongue out at him. 

Oh, that does it. “I swear to god, the first thing I’m gonna do when I get better is kick your ass.” 

“Pff, don’t kid yourself, Little Wing,” Dick leans back in his chair. “You couldn’t win that fight in a million years.” 

“Pride cometh before the fall, Dickie.” Jason sing-songs. “When I get better, you’re going down.” 

Dick just ruffles his hair, affectionately, and Jason squawks in protest and it’s just… it’s good. It’s all just good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that, as they say, is that. Thought about adding a section with Babs here but I couldn't come up with a good scene so I left it out. Hope you all enjoyed it anyway! <3
> 
> Next chapter should be up next week if all goes well!


	3. It Is The Rain That Will Strengthen Your Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, okay, it's finally done! Sorry everyone it took me three tries to figure out how to wrap up this part of the story, but here we are. Enjoy!
> 
> Chapter title is from I Have Made Mistakes by The Oh Hellos again... feels appropriate.

Bruce really hates dealing with whining and yet both his sons seem to be incredibly good at exactly that. He knows he’s been something of an enabler over the years, giving in when they just won’t stop and he doesn’t know what else to do. Alfred’s always been better about putting his foot down, particularly when they’re injured. God, Bruce wishes Alfred were here right now, but he left an hour ago. So Bruce is stuck trying to deal with this on his own. 

“I want to go home, Bruce!” Jason flails as much as his injuries will allow, which isn’t terribly much but it has the desired effect nonetheless, Bruce supposes. “How long are these quacks going to keep me here? I miss Alfred and Dick and the manor! I miss Dick’s stupid dog jumping right in the middle of me every morning… Bruce. Bruce, I miss homework! Get me out of here before I go crazy!” 

Pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the latest in a series of headaches, Bruce tries, “They want to keep you for a while longer, Jason. It’s only reasonable, son, you almost died. Please, bear with it.” 

“Like hell I will.” Jason pouts, to the best of his ability, even crossing the one arm he can freely move over his chest and looking away. This should be a triumph, it’s the first time since the incident that Jason’s been well enough to pout, but all Bruce can do is groan. 

“Wow, you can just feel the cheeriness in this room all the way down the hall, I swear.” The only time Bruce can remember being happier to see Dick was the last time he saved his literal life. 

Jason seems less enthused. “Great, the cavalry’s arrived.” 

“Hey, I heard you say you missed me, kiddo, you don’t get to take that back.” Dick laughs at the look of indecision on Jason’s face as he crosses the room and sits on the edge of Jason’s bed. 

Scowling, Jason just snaps, “Oh shut up, Dickface.” 

“Don’t talk to your brother like that,” Bruce scolds, knowing it’s useless the minute he speaks. 

Sure enough, Jason is disappointingly unfazed. He just raises an eyebrow at Bruce’s intrusion into the conversation before turning back to Dick. “Convince him that I’m well enough to go home.” 

“You’re asking the wrong person there, Little Wing,” Dick scoffs. “If it were up to me you wouldn’t leave this bed for another six months at least.” 

Jason sighs dramatically. “Ugh, get me Alfred or Babs! I need somebody with some sense in here!” 

“They’d tell you the same thing, Jay,” Dick says, his smile softening a bit. “Homesickness doesn’t mean you’d recover any better at the manor.” 

“Doesn’t mean I’d recover any worse, either!” 

Bruce tunes them out as they continue they’re argument. Jason’s not ready to go home yet, no matter how much he protests. Worse, Bruce isn’t sure he’ll be ready to care for Jason properly at this point either. Jason hasn’t shown any signs of psychological trauma from the incident thus far, but he’s regrettably good at hiding such things until it’s at its worst point. He’s been practicing since long before he came to live with Bruce and it’s something he’s stubbornly clung to. It might be difficult to-- 

“Because I hate it here!” Jason snaps, abruptly and there’s something about his tone that immediately bring Bruce’s attention back to the conversation between his sons. “All I can do is think and think and it’s driving me crazy, Dick! I just… I--” 

Dick is faster to react than Bruce, wrapping his arms carefully around Jason before the tears even begin to fall and letting Jason cling to him. “Shh, it’s okay, Jaybird, it’s okay.” 

With a strangled sound somewhere between a sob and a hiccup, Jason buries his face in Dick’s shoulder. Silence falls over the room as Bruce realizes just how much going home must mean to Jason. How disconnected he must feel from his family when he can only see most of them every so often. How hard it must be to be alone in this room even for a moment. Carefully Bruce clasps Jason’s shoulder and his hand leaves Dick’s back to grasp Bruce’s wrist tightly. 

After several hitching breaths, Jason mumbles, “Please… just take me home.” 

There’s really nothing more to be said. Bruce sighs. “They may insist on keeping you for a few more days, but I’ll see what I can do. With Alfred’s medical training they might allow it.” 

“…Okay.” Jason regains his composure a bit and lets go of Dick and Bruce and they, reluctantly follow suit. 

Free of Jason’s grip, Bruce makes his way to the door casting a questioning look at Dick. Getting a slight nod in response to his unasked question he knows Dick won’t be going anywhere for a while. 

***

Jason kinda hates the wheelchair, mostly because he’s not the one controlling it, but he keeps that to himself and tries to just be grateful that the doctors let him go back to the manor at all. It’s home. He’s coming home. He missed it so much. The joy that wells up in his chest at seeing Alfred standing in the open door is kinda indescribable. He can’t wait to settle in and eat Alfred’s cooking again. God, Alfred’s cooking! It’s been months since he had something that didn’t taste like rubber and grossness. Alfred couldn’t make something as nasty as hospital food if he tried. 

A joyful bark announces Ace only seconds before the he bounds out of the bushes and up to Jason. He slows down as he gets close, lowering his head to sniff at the wheelchair, then decides that the weird device isn’t very interesting. Before Bruce can stop him Ace hooks his front legs over the arm of the wheelchair and starts licking Jason’s face. He coincidentally picked the side with the arm that isn’t in a cast too. Jason laughs and scratches the dog’s ears. “Yeah, yeah, love you too. Get down, you silly mutt.” 

Ace gives him one last lick for good measure and hops down, walking alongside the wheelchair close enough to be pet as they continue on towards the house. 

“Welcome home, Master Jason,” Alfred says and somehow his voice doesn’t crack at all under the weight of all the emotion it carries. Product of a big heart, Jason suspects. 

Feeling a bit awkward, Jason gives Alfred a sheepish smile and answers, “It’s good to be back! You didn’t change anything in my room, right?” 

“Perish the thought, young sir!” Alfred’s mustache twitches in just the way that says he’s terribly amused by the suggestion. “I hardly needed to, unlike Master Richard’s room as you might imagine.” 

“My room is just the way I like it!” Dick squawks with mock indignation. “I can find everything whenever I want and that’s all that matters.” 

Alfred winks knowingly at Jason. “Of course it is.” 

“If you all don’t mind--” Bruce sounds like he’s spent the entire day herding cats, which probably isn’t all that far from the truth considering he had to deal with Dick and Jason bickering, the paparazzi being bastards as usual, and all the hassle of getting Jason discharged from the hospital and it’s only like… noon. Jason’s pretty sure that Bruce would rather deal with the entire population of Arkham than go through any part of this morning again. “--I’d like to get Jay situated in his room.” 

“And then you’re going to take a nap, right?” Dick prompts. 

Jason looks up just because he wants to see the exasperation on Bruce’s face. It’s priceless. 

“If it will get you to stop asking me that, then yes,” Bruce grumbles. 

Shrugging his good shoulder, Jason offers some consolation, “Hey, after all you’ve put up with you deserve an old man nap.” 

“I don’t know how to take that…” Bruce sighs, but there’s fondness there. 

Dick pipes up quickly, “From Jason? It’s a compliment.” 

Still feeling a little embarrassed at Bruce’s fond tone, Jason rolls his eyes. “Oh, shut it, Dickie.” 

“You shut it.” 

“I’d like it if you’d both give it a rest.” Bruce resumes pushing Jason’s wheelchair into the house. 

Just passed the door, Jason notices something new. “You installed an elevator? What the-- I mean, why?” 

“According the doctors you’ll be in a wheelchair or on crutches for quite a while. It seemed like a worthwhile investment.” Bruce shrugs like it’s nothing, which for a guy with literally billions of dollars it probably is but still… 

Jason gives Bruce his best incredulous look. “Okay, but when?” 

“As soon as they told me that you’d recover.” Bruce smiles a little. “It accesses every level of the house, even the cave, though that requires a special code that I’ll show you later.” 

At that Jason leans over towards Dick and, affecting his most dramatic stage whisper, says, “By which he means he’ll tell me in about six years when I finally convince him that I’m well enough to go back on patrol.” 

Dick sniggers, but Bruce just shakes his head. “Jay…” 

“Hey, I’m injured! That grants me a free pass to make fun of you for being paranoid, Pops.” Jason tilts his head back and grins at Bruce, earning the joy of seeing Bruce roll his eyes and try not to smile. 

“Come on, you three,” Dick urges, shooing them all closer to the elevator door. “I thought we were taking Jay up to his room, not lollygagging in the lobby! Let’s go, slowpokes! Time to ride the elevator!” 

“If it was not already abundantly obvious, Master Richard has developed something of an infatuation with the manor’s latest renovation.” Alfred informs Jason somehow managing to give off an air of amusement despite the fact that his tone and expression are as deadpan as ever. 

Jason can’t help but laugh. “Dickie? Over-excited about something silly? Say it ain’t so!” 

There’s a twinkle in Dick’s eye as he states very seriously, “There’s a control for speed.” 

Automatically interested, Jason leans forward a bit. “How fast does it go?” 

“It’s not a toy, boys.” Bruce tries but he has to know they’re not listening. 

“Fast.” Dick answers Jason’s question with a mischievous grin. 

“Hot damn!” Jason exclaims, wincing a bit under Alfred’s disapproving glance. “I gotta try this thing out!” 

Alfred pats his shoulder. “There will be plenty of time for that later, young sir. For the time being, why don’t we get you settled in your room?” 

“But, Alfie!” Jason whines, giving Alfred his best puppy-dog eyes. 

Unfortunately Alfred developed an immunity to pleading long before Jason came into the picture. “Next time.” 

Jason scowls but accepts Alfred’s decision. Not like he can do anything about it. He’ll get his chance sometime soon… maybe he’ll convince Dick to sneak him into the elevator later when Alfred and Bruce aren’t watching. 

*** 

Dick’s leg has healed up nicely and, while he’s probably jumping the gun a bit, after nearly a month of waiting he’s happy to be back in the Nightwing suit again. Screw the haters he looks awesome flipping through the air in this suit. They’re just jealous that he can do a quadruple backflip and they can’t. Of course, he’s not doing any quadruple backflips right now, he’s being smart and keeping his more extravagant acrobatics to a minimum, the last thing anyone needs right now is him reinjuring himself. Still it feels pretty great to be back above the streets. 

“Hey, ex-boy wonder! Looking good!” Batgirl teases over the comms. 

He glances down once he lands and spots her the roof of a smaller building nearby, grinning up at him. “Ha, don’t patronize me, BG, I’m not back on top of my game yet.” 

“Coulda fooled me!” She swings up to join him. “How’s Robin?” 

Dick shrugs. “About as well as can be expected. He’s happy to be home, but I think he’s still really bored.” 

“I can imagine.” She sits on the parapet swinging her legs lazily. “What about you? You sure you’re ready to be out here with that leg?” 

“I’m a grown up, Batgirl, I know my limits,” he answers. “How’s Gotham been treating you while Bruce is away?” 

“Same as ever, really.” She stares out at the skyline, her expression a bit pensive. “Not like this place ever changes much, you know?” 

Dick frowns. “I guess. Sure seems like it changes a lot to me, but I’ve been away for a while.” 

“Hm…” She takes a deep breath. “So tell me… how did you break your leg? Or don’t I want to know?” 

“Wha…” Dick looks over at her, bewildered. “That doesn’t even make sense!” 

“Hey, I don’t know what you and Kori get up to.” She shrugs innocently. 

Dick rolls his eyes. “Oh my god, get your mind out of the gutter!” 

She laughs and he can’t help but laugh too. This should be awkward. There should be tension left over from their last break-up, but… they’re still friends. It’s comforting to know that much hasn’t changed. So he tells her all about what happened on his mission with the Titans, about how his stay at the manor, and especially about the new elevator. She listens, attentively then tells him about all her adventures while he and Bruce have been out of commission. Apparently she had quite the run in with Killer Croc, but like the badass she is she took him out pretty quick. As their conversation starts to wind down, he starts to hear a bit of apprehension in her voice. She has something big to say and he has a feeling he won’t like it all that much. 

A silence falls between them for a moment while they look out over the city. Then she begins, “So, did Bruce tell you about what I said when I first went to visit Jason?” 

“He said you were thinking about leaving the vigilante life,” Dick responds, half-hoping that this isn’t going where he thinks it is. 

She nods. “Yeah… and I have been thinking about it and, well, when I saw Jason there, that’s probably the closest any of us have ever come to death/ If it hadn’t been for one little fluke he’d be dead. It got me thinking, I don’t really want to do this for the rest of my life, you know?” 

“I… yeah, I guess.” Honestly, Dick has thought about that before, but he hasn’t seriously considered it in a while. He tried going back to just being a normal person once, it didn’t take him long to realize that that hasn’t been him in a long time, maybe it never was. He does understand though, she’s right, Jason almost died. Shit like that really puts things in perspective. A lot of things. Like how shitty he’d been to Jason, how much Bruce loves them both, and… how easy it is to have this job be the last thing you ever do. 

Barbara looks up at the cloudy sky. “So I’ve decided. I’m going to hang up the cape, finish my degree, and leave Batgirl behind me. Permanently. Tonight’s the last night…” 

She sounds so sad, like the decision is tearing her up inside. Dick can’t blame her. For all it’s danger and it’s flaws, there’s a freedom in this work that can’t be found anywhere else. Dick oughta know, he’s tried. Here Dick was gearing up to be all disappointed, but now, “…Good.” 

That seems to surprise her. 

“Whatever you do in the future, I know you’ll be incredible.” Dick turns around and rest his elbows on the parapet. “And just because you’re not flying around the rooftops with us anymore doesn’t mean you can’t fight for Gotham in other ways. Plus, just in case you’re worried I won’t like you anymore and you’ll be deprived of my wonderful company--” 

She laughs and shoves his shoulder. 

“--you absolutely won’t get rid of me that easily!” Dick gives her his best winning smile. “I’m still going to show up in the middle of the night unannounced with a bucket of chocolate ice cream and a pair of spoons to crash on your couch while I complain about B being an asshole. Even if you become the next Commissioner I--!” 

“If I become the Commissioner the first thing I’m going to do is arrest you,” she jokes, then still smiling she looks down at the street below. “I’ll look forward to those visits though… and I’ll visit too. Can’t let Agent A miss me, right?” 

“Right!” Dick pushes away from the wall. “Now, come on, let’s make your last night the best one! Race ya!” 

Without waiting for a response Dick leaps off the rooftop into thin air, throwing out his grappling line just as he starts to fall and swinging around the corner of a building. In the next second, Batgirl swoops past him. Maybe – just maybe – he’ll actually let her win this time, instead of just legitimately eating her dust and claiming he let her win later. He’s going to miss this. 

***

For the first time since he woke up Jason is alone. Alfred’s preparing dinner, Dick and Barbara are out on patrol, and between Jason, Dick, and Alfred they actually did manage to convince Bruce to go take a nap. So Jason has his room, his thoughts, and the laptop that’s linked to the computer in the cave all to himself. It’d be wrong to say he conned the laptop out of Bruce, but well, he had only gotten it on the pretense that he needed to work on catching up in his homework. Something which he is pointedly not actually planning to do just yet. It’ll be ages before Bruce lets him back into the cave longer still before he’ll have a chance to really look in to any theories he might get, but he wants to get a head start and the only way he’ll get that is by watching the video of the man who rescued him. 

Either the video from Jason’s mask was destroyed by… what happened or Bruce has buried it deep, because Jason can’t find it, but the one from Bruce’s cowl is sitting right out in the open like Bruce expected him to do this. Which, knowing Bruce, he probably did. Whatever, Jason just hits play on it, no use fussing about it. 

The video starts and Jason watches. Bruce digging frantically through a pile of rubble, apparently not hearing the voice that calls for him until the guy shouts his actual name, then Bruce looks up and Jason gets his first real look at Alvin. Jason pauses the video and takes in the sight. He’s not very tall, actually a bit on the shorter side. His hair is black and long enough that he can mostly tie it back, some of it’s still loose though framing his face. His skin's pretty pale, he’s wearing a pair of jeans that look a bit tattered, a black t-shirt with a weird design on it, and a black, sweatshirt jacket. The jacket’s got puncture holes in the upper arms and there’s blood soaking through. Between that and the multitude of scars Jason can see and it looks like the guy’s been through hell. Maybe literally, that’s probably possible, they might get somewhere if they bring him up to Raven or something. Whether he came from hell or not though one thing’s for sure, he looks very out of place for the area. There are plenty of places in Africa where people might wear outfits like this, sure, but this area in particular is very poor. Designer jeans, no matter how beaten up they are, aren’t exactly common. Nor are his very expensive looking sneakers. Wherever this guy came from it’s not the general area of that warehouse. 

Jason hits play again and keeps watching. Damn, getting to see his own injuries from the outside is kinda unnerving. He pushes through, then he gets a closer look at Alvin and… he looks kinda familiar. Jason could swear he’s seen somebody who looks like Alvin before, but it’s not exact. Just some of the features are the same. Like he’s seen a person who’s related to him or something. He can’t place it though, so he keeps watching. 

The amount of times Bruce took his eyes off where he was going to look at either Jason or Alvin during the drive is pretty terrifying honestly and Jason has never wanted to scream about keeping one’s eyes on the road before but here he is. Then they get to the camp and after some boring stuff, Bruce starts talking to Alvin and… oh. Oh! He’s from Gotham! He’s not even trying to hide it. That accent is clear as day. It’s pretty ritzy too. No wonder he seems familiar, Jason probably has seen someone related to him. Maybe at one of those stupid parties Bruce made him go to or something. Dammit why can’t he remember. He scowls at the screen. Next time he gets dragged to a party he’s going to have to really pay attention. Maybe – just maybe – this will lead somewhere. 

He hopes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuuuuh some things?
> 
> 1) I have no idea if Dick and Babs ever actually dated before he got together with Kori or if comics with him dating Kori and Babs overlapped or what and I get the feeling that if I tried to go reread and find out my brain would explode, so we're going to say that in this verse they dated before Dick got together with Kori.  
2) Fun Fact: I actually wrote 90% of this story for a different fic like... two years ago, I repurposed it here because the old fic has taken a different direction. Save your drafts and cuts, people, you never know what they'll be good for later on.  
3)I feel my ability to write Dick is inconsistent, but hopefully he comes off okay.  
4)I feel the need to bring up the fact that this is 100% unbeta'd. I run ideas by a friend sometimes but they aren't in to Bat family stuff and don't actually read any of this, so anything that's stilted or just doesn't seem right is entirely my fault so... my bad, I guess?  
Finally stay tuned! In the next story we'll be checking in on 'Alvin' since it's been a while and he's probably getting lonely.


End file.
